Boxers have competed with butt munchers. They have had mixed resulted but a perfect example of the gap in talent between mma and boxing is the fact that an almost fifty yr. old former heavyweight boxing contender destroyed a 33 yr. old former ufc heavyweight champ under the mma fighters rules and in his arena. Not to forget but Mercer also did so with no mma experience and in his first fight in mma.

Where is the equivalent taking place in boxing where a pure, P-U-R-E, pure mma person takes on and destroys a former heavyweight boxing champ in their first foray into the squared circle?

take this into consideration before you mma cheer leaders trumpet mma as the greatest thing since bimbo sliced cheese.

Fight 'N' with heart,
This is the same Ray Mercer that got destroyed by Kimbo Slice in Mercer's official first MMA fight back in June 23, 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DahOLe5z3Ek
Kimbo took him to the canvas and submitted him in under 2-minutes.
-Kevin

Destroyed by kimbo? Did you even see that fight? kimbo looked terrified at the prospect that the fight would be with fists so he ran in with no real technique, just full of scared energy and tackled Mercer.

My point is that an almost fifty year old Mercer fought and destroyed a former 33 year old heavyweight ufc champ and got in the ring with an mma trained fighter in kimbo slice with no real mma experience to speak of.

Again, boxing requires the far greater skill and talent and you would never see a pure, P-U-R-E, pure mma person do the equivalent of what Mercer is doing and what Toney is now attempting and at the same level, with the same experience, against a former and respected future hall of fame boxer.

But a pure, P-U-R-E, pure boxer will always be able to make the jump into mma but a pure mma person will never have the skill and talent necessary to accomplish the equivalent.

Fight 'N' With heart,
I don't believe a MMA guy could ever get in a boxing ring and fight a boxer. That's why you haven't seen it. But I believe the opposite as well. A MMA guy has five weapons. His two hands, two feet and his take down ability. A boxer has only his two hands. That's why the advantage is for the MMA guy.

As for Tim Sylvia being KO'd by Mercer. Sylvia tried to box Mercer. Dumb idea. Randy Couture isn't going to box James Toney. Couture is a world-class wrestler that's going to take Toney down immediately.

BTW, that was the best MMA fight Kimbo ever fought. He used his take down skills, his knees and submission skills. Mercer was the one that looked lost in the cage.

A fish out of water can not survive.
Kevin

Even with five weapons, as you like to put it, a boxer's chances of victory in the octagon, are still far greater than an mma person in boxing. So, my point ,is that it takes greater skill and athletic ability to be a world class boxer.

Silvia also did not try and box Mercer. His first instinct, if you watch the fight, is to throw a kick. After silvia attempted his kick, he was rendered completely unconscious. Also, how can you say he attempted anything considering the fight lasted only a few seconds? And, considering silvia's age (33), shouldn't that have posed some kind of an advantage for him even if he was allowed the opportunity to box Mercer?

As for Toney and his foray into the octagon; both boxer and mma person can argue all day about how boxing and mma are two entirely different sports. But, when a boxer like Toney enters into mma with not one mma fight and takes on a legend in mma, in his first fight no less, and an mma person wouldn't dare the equivalent but in the opposite direction, it speaks volumes of the level of difficulty involved in the two sports.

Boxing, by far, requires the greater athlete.

honestly, Boxing is better than mma.Anyone can say that boxers cant fight in mma, But they can all they gotta do is train. Boxers go in with more technique. Honestly if they wanted they could all just train and destroy mma fighters. because boxers are real fighters, real athletes. mma is only as big as it is because as of now, boxing does not have its fighter that provides the heart and must see value that once was. but lets be very clear, when boxing does get that fighter that has a Marciano or Ali value mma will surely fade away. Mma is just passing the time until the next Tyson or Frazier walk in.Just wait until the next Joe Louis. Mma is on a time limit. Boxing is Forever

boxing shouldn't be compared to mma period. boxing is two guys dancing around with pillows on their hands taking repeated shots to the head.

mma is a sport that incorporates almost every technique available in fighting. a boxer in mma always has a chance to land one killer punch. they punch harder than mma fighters (b/c all they do is traoin to punch) for years upon years.

mma fighters train far too many techniques to develop the hand skills of the top tier professional boxer. if a pro boxer really wanted to prove somethng, he would go fight in K-1 with the best strikers in the world.

And toney's incoherent needs to call it a career self is going to be in a world of hurt against Randy. Randy isn't going to tap him out quickly, he will take Toney down with a double leg and then proceed to inflict a huge amount of damage in with some ground & pound until Toney quits or the ref stops it. Toney better train on how to punch off of his back, b/c that is where he will be for the majority of the fight.

Ok. I am Boxing fan. And I am an MMA fan. They are different sports. Obviously, MMA contains aspects of boxing. But it utuilizes a different type of boxing. If you are in a true boxing match, you can position yourself much differently because you are only concerned with protecting your upper body and most of the time you are only protecting your head because body punches seemed to have become a lost art. In MMA your boxing has to be different, you have to be prepared to defend against the takedown, leg kicks and any sort of lower body attack. That is a simple fact. This doesn't make one sport better or worse..they are just different. Any individuals who say boxers are better athletes that MMA fighters is incorrect. They are better boxers, purely (most of time). The Good MMA competitor has the more rounded over athletic ability, He uses wrestling, kickboxing, boxing, Muay Tai, Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Karate and a number of other disciplines....because you have to. I am not saying that a pure boxer could not do these types of things, they probably could with proper training. But a boxer has no need to train these different disciplines...he boxes. He is sport specific... and it is a great sport. I dont understand the animosity between the two worlds... I dont believe that the earlier comment was correct that if Boxing had a truly legendary boxer..MMA will fade away... doesn't make sense. MMA has a a great stable of talent and is entertaining. Boxing and MMA can co-exist and will continue to exist. Pacquiao is pretty damned dominant, Mayweather is pretty damned dominant. MMA is still here and gathering momentum. I agree it would be nice to have a heavyweight division again in boxing, the Klitschko's are good but generally not exciting....Anyway...you can call anyone who competes in Boxing and MMA , a fighter...because they ARE fighting in that ring or the octagon and most people don't have the stones to even step foot in a gym. If you were to ask me who is closer to a real fighter..(street fighter) I guess it would have to be someone in MMA...because when a REAL fight happens, It very rarely stays on its feet....That why our military...and any military worth a damn trains ground fighting...in a real fight you use everything you got to get the job done....Boxing is an awesome sport, and I love it, but it is one aspect of MMA..That is why it is so hard to compare the two and I choose to enjoy and support both.

Fortygrand,
Good post.
Kevin

Comparing boxing to MMA is a total waste of time and its also very disrespectful to people who are world champions is different martial arts who come to MMA to make a living because they are not lucky enough to be able to make a living from their specific discipline, just because boxers are lucky enough to participate in a very popular past time and make good money it does make them better athletes.

Comparing boxing and MMA is like comparing olympic marathon, cycling or swimming to triathlon. Boxing is a specific discipline and if you want to compare it you need to compare to other martial art disciplines and guess what, the jujitsu guy or the wrestling guy at the same skill level of the boxer is going to beat the boxer more times than not.

Just because boxing is popular and there is money in it doesnt make it superior to other martial art disciplines, technically it could even be argued that boxing is less skillful than many disciplines.

Cheers.

In regards to the "pillows" comment, boxing gloves are some of the most deadliest "pillows" on the planet, responsible for dozens of deaths in the ring and thousands of permanent brain damage over the years. Boxing requires a higher, sustained level of concentration than MMA simply because there are more "bullets" flying in a boxing match. Reflexes and focus are infinitely more important in boxing than MMA, and the slightest decline in those areas could prove fatal. Best example is Roy Jones Jr., who relied almost strictly on his reflexes and athletic ability and not sound fundamentals. When his reflexes began to slow, he became KO prone. In MMA, a fighter with dulled reflexes like Randy Couture can still be successful because of the clinch. He could essentially bull rush an opponent with his eyes closed and once he attains the clinch, reflexes aren't a major factor anymore (which is why Bernard Hopkins fights the way he does). The clinch is the great equalizer. Physical strength is the last thing to go away, and success in MMA has almost everything to do with physical strength, which is why you have a guy like Brock Lesnar terrorizing his division despite his inexperience. In boxing, physical strength is not nearly as big a factor, but timing and reflexes are. Most MMA fighters today have good boxing form and sound fundamentals, but what they lack is the years and years of training to reach the level of focus the top boxers have, as well as a lot of subtleties that you can't learn from a Bally's Fitness-caliber cardio-boxing that MMA fighters take for real boxing.

I agree that a top level boxer has a better chance in the octagon against a top level mma guy than vice versa (mma guy in the boxing ring). I don't agree with the argument that logic therefore dictates that boxing takes more skill. I think you are leaving a vital point out of your equation: A boxer brings his entire skill set into the octagon. An mma artist is required to leave most of his skill set outside when he steps into the boxing ring. That is a huge disadvantage when evaluating who is more skilled. I have the utmost respect for both sports and the dedication and training it takes to make it to the top of either.

White is definitely not sending message! This fight is a joke. I guess Randy has given up on having a legit mma career. I hope that Toney knocks him out.

As far as Kimbo goes he's seriously mma's biggest joke. Toney would knock Kimbo and his arthritic knees out in one round.

That is a huge disadvantage when evaluating who is more skilled. I have the utmost respect for both sports and the dedication and training it takes to make it to the top of either.